End-gate for wagons



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. T. WILEY.

END GATE FOR WAGONS.

No. 360,072. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

JOXAS T. XVILEY, OF LISOOMB, IOlVA.

END-GATE FOR WAGONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,072, dated March 29, 1887.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JONAS T. WILEY, of Liscomb, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in End-Gates for \Vagons and Carts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to end-gates of wagons and fastenings for the same.

The object of my present invention is to furnish a simple, cheap, and secure fastening for an end-gate that can be applied to any ordinary draft-wagon, and that will also hold the sides of thewagonbox to prevent their lateral displacement.

A further object is to provide an end-gate that can be removed from its positionwithout raising it vertically to release it from its cleats.

WVith these ends in'view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings making a part of this specification, Figure l is a rear end and side elevation of a wagon-body, showing the fastening device in a locked position. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the end-gate in an unlocked position in connection with the side'- boards of the wagon-body. Fig. 3 is an enlarged face View of a tail-board fastener detached from position. Fig. 4 is a view of the bracket-plate of one of the fasteners with the sliding catch removed. Fig. 5 is a modified form of the endgate with the fastening in position on it. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the end gate removed from the wagon.

A represents the side-boards of a wagonbody, and B the tail-board or end-gate. Two parallel cleats, a a, are secured to the rear ends of each side-board A to receive the endgate between them. The width of the outer cleats, a, is such as to permit a catch-hole, b, to be made through them, as well as the sideboards upon which they are affixed. The plates 0 are secured upon the outside surface of theside-boards A, and have elongated holes 0 made in their ends to register with the perforations made in the side-boards and the affixed cleats a.

The end-gate B is made preferably with a longitudinal re-enforce piece, 0, of a length to fit between the cleats a a when the gate is in place. The end-board B is also preferably made with a hinge, F, at its center, the board being separated into two equal parts at this point, the pieceObeing secured to the portion (2 near its upper edge, the other hinged piece, cl, of the gate B being left free to swing on its hinge, for a purpose that will be hereinafter explained.

A solid end-board may also be used, and Where this method of construction is employed the strip 0 is secured rigidly to this solid board at a proper point on its outer surface.

The end-gate B may also be hinged at the lower edge and made to swing upwardly against two inner cleats, the outside cleats be ing dispensed with in case the end-board is constructed as just stated.

The securing device consists of two similar bracket-plates, e, thatare provided with screwholes 1 2, &c.., to permit their secure attachment to the outer face of the strip 0. These plates e have ears 6, turned at a right angle to the plate 6, and perforated to receive the locking bolts 9 g. The bolts 9 9 have a squared portion, h, formed upon each, intogral with their bodies. They are made of a proper length to extend through the cleats and side-boards of the body when in place on the re-enforcestrip O. The locking-bolts g 9 have hooks or locking abutments 0, made upon their outer ends, the said hooks being preferably formed by bending the round body of the rods, a short distance from their free ends, to double these portions, as shown, and thus produce a shoulder or catch. These shoulders o are made square or true upon their faces, and the doubled material, taken together, is of a size to permit their easy insertion through the oblong holes a, made for their reception.

The plates 6 are notched with a groove of such a width and depth at the points 6' as to permit the corners of the squared enlargements h to revolve in these channels and prevent an endwise movement of the lockingbolts 9 9 when these corners are in engagement with the shoulders of the grooves 6* in the plates e. The body of the round bolts 9 g are turned at a right angle to the portions that slide in the bracket-plates e, to form handles 6. These handles 2' are of such a length as to aflord a secure hold to operate the bolts.

In order to facilitate construction, I prefer to cut the ears e that are adjacent to the squared portions 71, through into the perforations made in them from the center of the outer surface, and spread the separated parts to permit the placing of the bolts 9 g in connection with the bracket-plates e, as this can be readily accomplished by the insertion of the bent handle-ends of the bolts through the opposite lugs e, the bodies of the bolts being then dropped into the split ears e these being closed by bending their separated portions down upon the round bodies of the bolts, so as to secure them in sliding adjustment with the bracket-plates e, that support them.

In operation the end-gate is inserted in place on awagon by first withdrawing the bolts '9 and 9, so that they assume the position shown in Fig. 2. This is effected by turning the handles 1' upright, which will withdraw the engaged corners of the squared portions of the bolts 9 and g from the grooves e in the bracket-plates e, as these squares are so made in relation to the handles't' that a flat side will oppose the face or outer surface of the bracketplates 0 when the handles are turned upright,

as stated, and in consequence of this release of the corners of the squares from the detainingshoulders of the grooves e the bolts 9 9 may be made to slide end'wise.

The hinged portions d d of the end-gate B are now made to form an angle, as shown in Fig. 6. This position of the hinged parts will shorten the gate B, and permit it to be secured in place by pushing the gate so as to cause its connected parts to be straightened in a right linean'd by this lengthening of the gate cause a proper engagement of its free ends with the upright cleats a a, and occupy a position between these cleats.

The insertion of the end-gate B into the slots between the cleats a a will cause the lockingends 0 of the bolts 9 g to register with the orifices 'made'through'the cleats a and side-boards A, and the bolts can now be made to slide through these parts, with their shoulders 0 outside the plates 0; hence by turning the handles i downward the shoulders o are made to bear upon the surface of the plates 0, the

locking-shoulderso being'reversed in position and hooking upon the metallic edges of these plates.

In order to remove thefe'nd-gate from a loaded wagon or cart, the locking-bolts g g are removed from their secured position in relation to the side-boards A. A slight pressure applied to the inner face of the end-board near the hinged joint will cause the gate to fold sufficiently to disengage its free ends from the retaining-cleats of the side-boards, and thus effect its instant and easy release from the wagon.

The method just described of releasing the end-board from a loaded cart or wagon is of great service when a load is loose in the body and presses against the end-gate-as, for instance, a cart loaded with coal. The ordinary gate has to be raised from its cleats to release it. This, it is evident, is very inconvenient to accomplish, and requires employment ofa lever or other implement to start it. My improved end-gate obviates all difficulty of removal of the tail-board, without regard to the nature of theloaded material bearing against it.

It is evident that the locking device just described can be applied to the modified forms of end-gates hereinbefore mentioned, and afford a secure fastening for them.

Other slight changes may be made in the general construction and arrangement of relative parts of this end-gate fastener without exceeding its scope. I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the precise forms shown and described; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An end-gate hinged in the center, having a longitudinal strip attached to one of the hinged parts, two sliding bolts journaled in bearings secured to the longitudinal strip and adapted to secure the gate in cleats on the side-boards and release the gate therefrom by their withdrawal from locking position, and the folding action of the hinged parts, substantially as set forth.

2..In an-endgate fastening, the combination, with a hinged end-gate having a longitudinal re-enforce strip, secured to one of its hinged parts, of two bracket-plates grooved on their faces and provided with perforated lugs made integral with their ends, lockingbolts to slide in the lugs, two cleats on each side-board of the wagon,and-perforated plates secured outside of the side-boards, substantially as set forth.

3. In an end-gate fastening, the combination, with two bracket-plates that are constructed having perforated lugs and detent notches or grooves in their outer surfaces, of two locking-bolts adapted to slide into holes in the side-boards of the wagon and secure the end-gate thereto by the joint action of the outer shouldered ends and the squared projections formed on these bolts, substantially as set forth.

4. In an end-gate fastening, the combina tion, with two bracket-plates having perforated lugs at their ends and grooves in their front surfaces, of two locking-bolts provided with abutment-shoulders on their outer ends, squared projections on their bodies constructed to engage the grooves in the bracketplates, and handles at their inner ends to slide the bolts and partially rotate them in holes in the sides of the wagon, substantially as set forth.

ICO

5. In an end-gate fastening, the combination, with two bracket-plates having perforated lugs at their ends and grooves in their front surfaces, of two loekingbolts provided with abutment-shoulders on their outer ends, squared projections on their bodies that engage grooves in the bracket-plates, handles at their inner ends to project the bolts through oblong holes in the sides of the wagon, and two bearing-plates that form contactsurfaces for the abutment-hooks on the ends of the locking-bolts, substantially as set forth.

6. In an end-gate fastening, the combination, with two locking-bolts that have abutments on their outer ends, squared projections on their bodies, and handles on their inner ends, of two grooved bracket-plates having lugs at their ends perforated to receive the bolts, one lug on each plate being centrally separated to admit the bolt-body and afterward closed upon it to retain the bolt in sliding connection with the bracketplate, substantially as set forth.

7. In an end-gate 'for wagons, the combina tion, with the sideboards of a wagon-body, provided with two vertical cleats on their inner surfaces at their rear ends, of an end-gate having a rigidly-affixed longitudinal strip on its outer face, a hinge at its center division, two bracket-plates secured to this strip, the said bracket-plates having perforated lugs on their ends, two locking-bolts to slide in the bracket plates and provided with squared portions made solid with their bodies, handles at their inner ends, and shouldercatches formed integral upon their outer extremities, and two perforated catch-plates secured to the outer surfaces of the side-boards of the wagon to engage the shoulders on the locking-bolts, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereoflhavesigncd this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JONAS T. VILEY.

\Vitnesses:

ED. H. TREASE, XV. H. ROBILLIARD. 

